


Blood and Brainless Comments

by simply_nerdy_foster



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, How Do I Tag, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, I Tried, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, The Klance is actually kind of not even there until the end, Trans Male Character, and i refuse to do that if i can help it, and then just barely, bless hunk, but i just couldnt do it, but some, but then i scrapped it because the way i was planning to do it was kind of shitty, everything is fine, i had an idea for how i wanted to do it, im sorry, it seemed really transphobic to me, its fine, most of it is because of keith, not a lot, partially, so have hinted at klance, some is from injuries, there may be some blpod, to me at least, trigger warning: blood, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-12 21:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12968778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simply_nerdy_foster/pseuds/simply_nerdy_foster
Summary: This is for the VLD Secret Santa Gift Exchange on tumblr. I got alexdamner-damnilton as my giftee, and out of the ships they said they liked, I chose Klance. Thus, this ridiculous thing was born. The end result is actually not that much shippy crap at all, but that's only because the way I was gonna play the Klance into it struck me as really transphobic somehow and I couldn't figure out another way to do it. Sorry.It's only Teen And Up because there's gonna be blood. So #TW for blood.





	Blood and Brainless Comments

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so this might suck a bit. It took me ages to get an idea and I started writing it on the 9th. Hopefully you like it, alexdamner-damnilton. Merry Christmas.

It happens while they're on a mission. Of course it does, because nothing in Keith's life ever goes as planned. That would be too easy. 

The team is escorting a group of civilians to a moon several planets away when he feels a familiar sharp pain in his stomach. He freezes, still steering Red. The lion senses his distraction and begins to fly for him, allowing him to take stock of the situation. He shifts slightly in the seat and feels something wet touch his thigh. "Fuck," he curses loudly. 

"Keith?" Shiro calls. "What happened?" He sounds worried. It makes sense, as Keith generally only curses when something bad happens. 

Keith swallows. "Uh, it's nothing," he replies. "Just realized I forgot to pick up something at the space mall." His voice rings with truth. He completely forgot to grab his supplies from the mall the last time they'd been there. He'd been so distracted by everything going on that he hadn't realized what time it was. 

"What is it?" Hunk asks. "I might have some." 

Sweet, precious Hunk. Keith knows he's just trying to help, but there's no way Hunk would have what he needs. Only one of them might. "That's okay, bud," Keith says. "I'll just grab it next time we're there." 

He switches over to a private channel. "Pidge," he says. 

"Wrong channel, Mr. Grumpy," Lance replies. Keith smacks himself on the head. "What do you need Pidge for?" 

Keith sighs. "None of your business,  _Sharpshooter._ Did Pidge switch the frequencies again?" It's happened before. Pidge has a habit of finding ways to make Keith and Lance talk. Most of time, it just pisses Keith off, especially when Lance starts in with the puns. 

"Heck if I know," Lance answers. Keith curses again as another pain shoots through his stomach. "You sure you're alright?" 

Lance's concern is touching, even if it's totally unnecessary. "I'm fine, I just had a question for Pidge about... cloaking." 

Although Keith can't see him, he knows Lance is squinting. "You're not going to take off with Allura again, are you?" he demands. 

"No, I'm not. I'll talk to you later." He changes the frequency before Lance can get another word in. "Pidge, I'm going to kill you." 

"No, you won't. You love talking to him," Pidge sings. 

Keith shrugs. "True, but that doesn't mean he's any less annoying." 

Pidge snorts. "This weird love-hate thing you got going on is so weird." They do something on their end that results in a deep purr coming from his helmet. "So did you just drop Lance to whine at me about Lance, or was there another reason for this chat?" 

"There was, actually." 

...

"Are you going to tell me what it was?" Pidge asks. 

"Give me a minute!" Keith snaps. 

Pidge snorts. "Because that's how you get me to give you anything," they say.  

"Sorry! This is difficult for me," Keith admits. "Don't really talk about it." 

"Talk about what, your ever-obvious crush on Lance?" There is a hint of amusement in Pidge's voice. He hates them for it. 

He sighs. "That too, but I wasn't going to ask you to wingman for me." He takes a deep breath. "You wouldn't happen to have any feminine hygiene products, would you?" 

There's silence on the other end. Then, "Why the hell would you ask me that?" Pidge sounds slightly irritated and more that slightly bewildered. 

Keith leans forward and slams his head onto his dash. "Of course you're going to make me say it," he growls. He ignores the curious sound Pidge makes. "I need them, Pidge." 

Pidge chokes on something. Air, probably. "What?!" they demand. "You mean you're..."

"Yes, okay?" Keith is torn between the usual shame that came with admitting the truth, and relief that Pidge caught on without him having to spell it out. "Yes. Just don't tell the others." 

"They'd accept it," Pidge states. "They were fine with me not actually being a boy." Keith winces and says nothing. Pidge continues after a moment. "Crap. Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not a boy. You are. They'd be okay with it." 

"I know they would, but I don't want more people to know than absolutely necessary," Keith says. 

"I won't tell them," Pidge swears. "I'm not sure how to get anything to you while we're off Castle, though." 

For several minutes they ponder for a solution, listening to the others chat. Lance is trying to talk Shiro into a dad joke contest. He's having minimal success, but he isn't letting that stop him. Hunk is just laughing. 

Eventually they come to the conclusion that they have to break formation. Pidge switches to a private channel with Shiro to get permission. Keith isn't sure what they say, but they come back with an okay from the other Paladin. 

Because they're on the same side, it doesn't take long. Pidge brings Green to Red, and sends a small pod between them before returning to formation. Keith tells Red to take over, and gets up to retrieve the package. 

After his business is taken care of, he returns to his chair. Pidge seems to know. "I'll send you some extra medicine later," they tell him. 

"Thanks, Pidge."

The mission runs smoothly after that. They get the civilians to their destination, promise them as much protection as they're capable of giving, then pack up and head back to the Castle. No complications, for most of them. 

When they return, Shiro tries to corner Keith, but he manages to evade him. He's worried that Pidge might have told Shiro what was going on, though he knows it's unlikely. Pidge has never been one to break promises. Nonetheless, he avoids Shiro and makes a beeline to his room. 

Once he's there, he changes out of his armor. Then he goes into the bathroom to take a shower. As he's taking his shirt off, there's a knock on his door. "Come in," he calls. 

He assumes it's Pidge bringing him the medicine they promised, and doesn't bother to put his shirt back on. They already know, he has nothing to hide. He goes over to his dresser to grab some shorts and a t-shirt as the door hisses open. 

The voice that speaks behind him isn't Pidge. "Keith?"

Keith whirls around to find Lance staring at him. The other boy looks shocked. Keith knows what he must look like: messy hair, a horrified expression. And suddenly the binder on his chest feels more restrictive than ever. It didn't occur to him that it might be someone else at the door. 

"Lance," Keith chokes out. "It's not- I mean, I can explain-" 

Lance holds up a little bag. "Pidge sent me to guve this to you. They were busy. The label was in Altean, so I couldn't read it, but I guess I don't have to now." He seems perfectly calm, pretty much the opposite of Keith. Keith sits down roughly on his bed and buries his head in his hands. "So this is why you were being so cranky earlier. Hormones." 

"Shut up." Keith is muffled by his hands, but he doesn't care. He can't believe how calm Lance is being. He's waiting for some sign of incredulity, or for Lance to make a stupid comment and get himself punched in the face. "Put the bag down and go away." 

Lance sets the bag down as instructed, but doesn't leave. "Heck no," he says. "We're talking about this." 

"I already know what you're going to say," Keith deadpans. 

Lance looks baffled. "You do? Are you telepathic now, too?" He snarks. 

Keith glares at him. "It's not that hard to figure out what you're going to say. And I didn't just 'become' this way, dick." 

To his surprise, Lance flinches. "Crap," he mutters. "I didn't mean it like that." 

"You rarely do." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing. Look, can you just go? I need to shower." Keith stands and twists his arms around. "If you're that desperate, come back later." 

Okay, he definitely did not intend for it to sound like that. Lance gapes at him for a moment, then stammers something and nearly runs from the room. Keith snorts at how dorky the Cuban is, even as his own face is burning. 

After he takes his shower, he throws back a couple of the pills Pidge sent him. He's not sure what they used to make the capsules, but they work almost immediately. He decides that he'll be very spoiled by the time he gets back to Earth. 

With hair clean and hell cramps managed, he grabs his dagger and trots to the training deck. He needs to distract himself, and training never fails to hold his focus. 

He powers up the combat simulator and sets it for level 2. He's worked for months to get this far, mostly because he feels a need to gain Allura's respect. After she mocked them in their first days as Paladins, he started to spar with the bots almost daily. When they discovered he was part Galra, it became every day, sometimes twice. It morphed from just a ridiculous desire to prove her wrong, to something he did for his own benefit as well. 

He likes fighting. He likes the physicality of it, the brutality. There were never any lies in combat. Sure, an opponent can feint, but it's part of the dance. It's just how it is. 

Keith is working up a sweat today. Every time he trains, he pushes his limits, stretching his endurance further and further. He can't do any of his acrobatic fighting moves today, but he can work on his sneak attacks. Sneaking up on a bot is harder than stealthing a person; it requires quieter footwork and slower breathing. He's good at stealth, but nowhere near Pidge's level, or Shiro's, or even Lance's. Hunk couldn't be quiet if he tried, but he makes up for it in strategy. 

Keith admires that about Hunk. He's cautious. Sometimes overly so, but he's saved them more times than any of them can count. Lance once proclaimed that Hunk was a perfect cinnamon roll, too sweet for this world, too pure. Later that day Hunk dropped 3 or 4 drones in a single, well-placed cannon shot. Lance quickly placed him in the "looks like a cinnamon roll, but could actually kill you" category. Even Keith understood the meme. 

The bot interrupts his scattered thought train with a bolt of electricity through his side. He yells, and lashes out. The bot merely dodges and strikes him again. With another cry, he flings his arm in a wide arc around him. His blade catches the bot on the shoulder and slices it almost in half. It collapses to the floor in pieces. 

"End sequence," he calls hoarsely. The simulator powers down, and he sinks to the floor. Prodding his side, he takes a sharp breath. It's been a while since he got shocked. He'd forgotten how much it hurt. 

He looks around, snorts at himself, and lifts his shirt up a bit. The marks are hideous, and rapidly turning purple. He can't tell if it's because of his Galra blood, or if he's just bruising. 

"Paladins," Coran suddenly calls over the speakers. Keith startles. "It's grub time!" With a short huff, Keith drags himself to his feet. His sword transforms back into a dagger and he sheathes it as he leaves the deck. 

He can tell Hunk made dinner by the way the food smells as he comes down the hall. The planet they've docked on to resupply has spices that are similar to Earth spices, and Hunk went batshit about them. Apparently, thyme is universal. 

The other Paladins are already seated. Pidge and Lance are laughing, Hunk appears to be bickering gently with Coran about some space food or other, and Shiro and Allura are talking. The mice are scampering about the table, helping themselves to the food. 

Shiro looks up at Keith's entrance. "Keith, we were just..." He trails off, an alarmed look on his face. A flutter of panic invades Keith's stomach. 

Pidge and Lance turn to look, and their gasps have Hunk and Coran swinging around as well. Everyone is staring at him. He doesn't like it. "What?" he croaks. "Is there something on my face?" 

Lance laughs in a short burst of amusement. "Dude, you're turning purple," he informs him. 

"What?" Keith asks. 

"You've got splotches all over your face," Hunk explains. "Kind of like vitiligo, but purple." 

Keith's hand smacks into his face before he knows he lifted it. Allura is out of her seat, and Shiro starting to rise. "Keith," he starts. 

"Coran, take him to the med bay," Allura interrupts. "Do whatever you must. Figure out what is going on here." 

Coran shoots to his feet. "Yes, Princess." He lopes over to Keith and throws an arm around him. Keith flinches. "Come on, my boy. We had better do as she says." 

The Altean steers Keith down to the med bay and seats him on a bench of sorts. He turns a few knobs and puts a cuff on Keith's wrist, then faces him. "Okay," he says. "Answer me this." 

"What?" Keith asks. 

"Do the splotches happen every time, or is this a new development?"

Coran is so careful with his phrasing that Keith forgets Coran isn't supposed to know. "They're new," he admits. "I think that trial with the Blades activated my Galra blood or something. I got electrocuted by a sparring bot earlier. Twice. Could that be causing it?" 

"Hm." Coran twirls his moustache while he thinks. "Perhaps you're correct about the activation of your Galra blood. I'd need to test your blood to be sure. May I take a sample?" Keith holds out his arm, and Coran makes an expert cut near Keith's elbow, away from any vital nerves. 

Keith watches the blood drip onto a little tray. "It's turning purple," he comments about his skin. 

"Indeed it is," Coran says. He wraps a small bandage around Keith's arm. "You're a remarkably fast healer for a human, so you probably won't need that for very long." He claps Keith gently on the shoulder. "Go on. I'll update you if there's any news." 

It's not until Keith has left the infirmary that he remembers that he never told Coran anything. He makes a mental note to question the man later. 

Some hours later, Keith is sharpening his knife when the alarm starts to sound. He jumps up and takes off running. He's got a half-formed idea as to what's causing the alarm. 

He's one of the first on the control deck, aside from Allura and Shiro. He taps his foot impatiently as he waits for the others to trickle in.

When they do, he speaks before Shiro gets the chance. "It's those civilians we escorted," he says with conviction. He has no idea how he's so sure, but he knows that's what's going on. "The Galra are attacking them."

Everyone stares at him. "That's right," Shiro says, as if he told Keith before the others arrived. "Everyone, get to your lions. We're going down there." They all scatter. 

 

The next hours are dangerous, deadly, and chaotic as hell. The Galra ships seem more focused on taking Keith out than usual, constantly flinging explosives and lasers at him and Red. Lance and Pidge are doing their best to help him fight them off, but they have their own ships to worry about. Shiro is yelling orders and Hunk is just yelling. Judging by how slow the progress is, it's one of their toughest battles yet. 

They end up having to form Voltron, even though there's no robeast nearby. After that, it gets a little easier. They almost take out the whole group. Until an ion cannon from a stray cruiser hits them, and knocks everyone around their lions. Voltron is immobilized just long enough for the cruiser to get away. 

The Paladins dismantle Voltron and start back to the Castle. Hunk and Pidge are chattering over Keith's headset, but he doesn't really notice. "Did you see the lasers those guys had?" Hunk asks. 

"I know! And what about-" 

"Don't even get me started! And then the-"

Shiro butts in. "Guys! Calm down, you can figure this stuff out back on the Castle. Keith and Lance, you've been quiet. Report status." 

"Everything is a-okay on my end," Lance announces. 

"Keith?" 

Keith shrugs, then remembers they can't see him. "Been better." 

Shiro makes a concerned-father-like noise. "What happened?" 

What happened was that Keith slammed his head into something near the cockpit when that ion cannon hit them. What happened was that he blacked out for a bit and was only woken by Pidge and Hunk. What happened was now his head feels like it's been hit with a hammer and he's pretty sure he's bleeding from the side of his skull. What he says is, "Hit my head." 

"Is there blood?" Lance asks. His voice cracks oddly on the word 'blood' and Keith chuckles. 

"Unclear," Keith answers. "More than likely, my helmet feels wet." 

"What the fuck, dude," Pidge says. "Quit getting injured in battle, you've only got so much blood to lose." There's a sharp intake of breath, but no one seems to have noticed. 

Shiro sighs. "Pidge, language. Keith, strip off your armor and report to the infirmary as soon as we land, you're going in a pod."

"Yes, sir," Keith says. He knows better, now, than to argue with his commanding officer. 

They dock shortly, and Keith disappears before anyone can say anything. He hurries to the infirmary in his armor, grabs a pod suit, and rapidly changes. The inside of his helmet is slick and red, but not enough that he's begun to feel the effects of his injury. 

He's looking at it when everyone piles into the infirmary, even Allura. Hunk makes a noise that suggests he's trying not to vomit. Keith looks up. "That bad, huh?" he asks calmly. 

"You know he doesn't like blood," Pidge says. "And the side of your head is matted with it." 

Coran clasps Keith on the shoulder and steers him toward a pod. Shiro holds out his hand, and Keith gives him the helmet. "Into the pod, my boy, there we go," Coran coaxes. "You'll be in here for probably a few vargas, to heal you. We can't do anything about replacing the blood you've lost until you wake up, but come find me and we'll get it worked out." He fiddles with a few buttons and dials, then hits a larger button with his fist and an overly dramatic Coran yell. 

Lance's face is oddly greenish as the pod shuts and Keith sinks into medicated unconsciousness. 

 

The first thing Keith hears as he comes around is the hiss of the pod opening. He can't control his body yet, can't stop himself from flopping forward like a fish out of water, is barely even conscious, but it doesn't matter. Someone catches him, tries to hold him upright. Another someone is on his other side, propping him up with a little more success.

His eyes squeeze against the light, but he forces them open anyway. Lance and Hunk are the ones holding him, Shiro's watching them with a fond smile, and Coran is quietly scolding Pidge, who apparently tried to 'upgrade' another pod while they waited. Keith doesn't want to know what that means. He can't see Allura anywhere, but he doesn't mind. 

"How are you feeling?" Shiro asks. 

Keith blinks away the usual pod exhaustion and nods. "I'm alright," he says. "I feel better." 

"Thank goodness," Hunk sighs. "I got really nervous for a while." 

"If by nervous, you mean alternating between sniffling and pacing, and wanting to destroy those ships again," Lance adds. 

"Shut up, Lance!" 

They all laugh, and Keith nudges the boys away to stand on his own. Lance won't look at him, but Hunk crushes him in a hug. 

Keith smacks his friend on the back a few times. "Hunk, dude," he croaks. "Let up a bit." 

Hunk drops him immediately. "Sorry!" he cries. "The last thing you need is to end up in a pod again because of me." He sniffles. 

"Keith, my boy!" Coran calls. He appears to have finished scolding Pidge, who doesn't look at all apologetic. "You're quite in need of some blood replacers. Follow me!" He goes over to a cabinet and beckons Keith over. 

The Paladins all look at each other and shrug. Keith goes as instructed. "Time for a blood transfusion?" he asks. 

Coran laughs. "Those are primitive, lad," he tells him. "We have pills for that now." He hands Keith a couple of small green tablets. "The pod fixed your head and those purple spots, but you still need blood. These are blood replacements. They were originally for Alteans, but they're adaptable. They'll scan your blood and change to match it. It's a fascinating piece of Altea's medical advancements, and one of the few we still know how to make." He gets that sad look on his face, the same one Allura has when she remembers the Alteans' demise. 

Keith throws back the pills dry, thanks Coran, and decides to go to the control center. The others have likely started the mission debrief, and he despises missing those. 

Upon his arrival, Shiro has just launched into an account of their after-battle statistics. Keith settles into his seat to listen to the report. They destroyed two cruisers, a dozen smaller ships, and three pods. The civilians were not harmed by the Galra, though a few were injured in the ensuing panic. There was only one injury of a Paladin. All in all, a pretty successful mission. 

There's a bit more talking, mainly Pidge and Hunk and Allura sharing ideas about upgrading the Castle or the lions again. Shiro takes the time to come over to Keith. "Hey," he says. "You sure you're okay?" 

Keith nods. "I'm fine," he promises. "Coran gave me some Altean blood replacement things, I should be back to normal in a quintant or two." He stands and stretches his back. 

"Okay. I trust you. Just know that you can come to me about absolutely anything, alright?"

With that sentence, Keith knows that Shiro knows the truth. He wonders if this is how Pidge felt. Probably not so worried. But Shiro hasn't rejected him. He knows that's not who Shiro is, and he's grateful. 

"Yeah," Keith says, grinning. "I know. But some of my issues are better handled with Pidge by my side." He actually laughs when Shiro's face scrunches as his words sink in. 

Shiro claps him on the arm and swiftly departs, leaving Keith to retreat to his room until dinner. He sits on the bed and pulls out the chunk of metal he uses to sharpen his knife, sets to work. It keeps him occupied for a while. 

He's testing the blade against his thumb when someone knocks on the door. "Come in," he calls. He hears the  _whoosh_ of the door and glances up to see Lance. "Hey." 

"Hi," Lance says tersely. He comes into the room just emough for the door to slide shut, and stands there. Still. Quiet. 

Keith sighs and sets his knife and metal down. "Listen, Lance, there's some stuff we have to talk about." 

Lance snorts. "You're right about that, at least." He doesn't say anything else, just staring at Keith.  

"What?" Keith asks. "You're not going to yell at me for getting hurt?" 

"You couldn't control that," Lance answers quietly. "That's not why I came in here." He pauses for a moment as if collecting his thoughts. Keith lets him. "Why didn't you tell me you were trans?" 

If there's one thing Keith isn't expecting to hear, it's hurt. "Lance..." 

"Nope. My turn to talk. For months I've known something was off. You started acting distant again, like you didn't want to be here. Now that I know what's up, I'm wondering how I didn't notice before. But I'm also wondering why you never told me. Don't you trust me?" Lance crosses his arms and honest to god  _pouts_ at Keith. 

Keith, in turn, shakes his head. "Of course I trust you. Just not with this." He holds up a hand to cut off whatever Lance is about to say. "I didn't trust anyone with this. Not even Shiro. I only went to Pidge because I had to. I'd have left it alone if not for that." 

Lance considers his words with a thoughtful look on his face, before crossing the room to sit next to Keith. "I think I can understand that. It's kind of like how I didn't want to come out as bi to my family until I was forced to. Except not really." 

"Not really," Keith echoes. 

"So you just didn't trust anyone at all. That's better than everyone knowing but me, I guess. Still sad. So." Lance claps his hands together, making Keith jump. "I've got questions, if you don't mind." 

Keith groans, and Lance shoves him. "Fine, but I reserve the right to punch you if you ask anything stupid." 

Lance grins. "Deal. First question. Where the quiznak do you get feminine products in space?!" 

"Space mall," Keith drones. "Apparently tampons are as universal as thyme." 

"Ew." Lance shudders. "Okay. Traumatized. Second question. How long have you known you were a guy?" 

Keith pauses before answering. "I started to suspect something wasn't right when I was twelve. I started to... develop. I felt really betrayed, you know? I'd hated skirts and dresses for a couple years at that point, hated dolls and makeup and play kitchens. To be fair, I didn't like trucks and football and video games either. I liked to learn, and read. But I didn't know for sure until I saved up enough Christmas and birthday money to buy a binder online. I'd read that they were for people who didn't feel like girls, a subset of society that called themselves 'transgender.' When it came in the mail, I was scared. I didn't know if I'd made the right choice in buying it, or if I was just a tomboy. But I made myself put it on. It was so tight I could barely breath, but when I looked in the mirror... I realized that I was looking at what I'd wanted for years, a flat chest. It took a while to accept that I was trans, but it just became part of me. I enrolled in the Galaxy Garrison as a boy named Keith. I slept around guys, befriended other guys, ate with and talked like the rest of them. I became who I am." 

He looked over at Lance and then away, shrugging. "That probably doesn't make any sense." 

"To someone who is what they were assigned to be, not really," Lance admits. "But that's okay, it doesn't have to. Third question?" 

"Sure." 

"What was your name. You know, before?" 

Keith inhales sharply. "That's not typically something you should ask, just so you know." 

"Sweet jambalaya, I'm sorry." Lance looks worried now, like he's scared he's upset Keith. 

He has, a bit, but Keith won't show it. "It's fine," he says. "I trust you enough to tell you, but I swear to every deity in existence that if you _ever_ call me by that name I will rip out your eyes and shove them down your throat. Got it?" 

Lance nods in terrified compliance. "Yeah," he promises shakily. "I swear on my abuela's grave." 

"A whole grave, wow," Keith mutters sarcastically. He shakes his head sharply. "Whatever. So, lesson for you. Anyone who's trans or whatever and goes by a different name than their birthname. Their birthname, the legal one until they change it, is typically called their deadname. It's actually really rude to ask, like asking a lady how much she weighs or how old she is. You know?" 

"Makes sense," Lance says. 

"Yep. And my deadname is..." 

Lance puts a hand on Keith's arm. "You can trust me," he says gently. "I promise I will never say it as long as I live." 

Keith nods, resting his hand over Lance's for a second. He takes a moment to collect himself. "Katelynn," he whispers. 

Thankfully, Lance doesn't ask him to repeat it. Perhaps he can tell how hard it was for Keith to say it even once. Instead he nods. "You know, I think that would actually suit you if you were a girl. Maybe something a bit edgier." 

It's probably the closest thing to the right words that Lance is capable of getting. Keith surprises them both by hugging Lance tightly. "Thank you for not making a big deal out of this." 

"You got it, buddy. Now come on." He disentangles himself and pats Keith gently on the chest. "Take this thing off." 

"What? Why?" 

Lance snorts. "Because you look wiped out. You need rest, and there is no way you're sleeping with that on. It's not healthy. I can sleep on the floor, I don't care. But I'm going to turn around, you're going to take your binder off, and then we're going to take a nap. Maybe when we wake up you can tell the others, it's all up to you." Lance scoots down to sit on the floor and stubbornly turns to face the wall. 

Keith is chuckling as he does as instructed, even as his heart skips a beat. When he hands Lance and extra blanket and one of his pillows, Lance settles down right next to the bed. Easily withing arm's reach if Keith needs him. 

As Keith rolls over to face the wall and closes his eyes, he decides that maybe he's okay with being who he is today. He doesn't know what tomorrow will bring, whether he'll be ashamed of his body again or not. What he does know is that, for the first time, he won't have to face it alone. 


End file.
